Five Minus Hart Equals Four
by JJHart4
Summary: When Jennifer finds out she's pregnant, she, Jonathan and Max are overjoyed.
1. Chapter 1

Five Minus Hart Equals Four

Two men sat in the room, drapes drawn firmly shut, even though the sun shone brightly outside. One of the two sat at a desk, finger tips pressed tightly together. He gazed at a large photograph on the desk, and even though his companion couldn't see his face clearly, he imagined that he was glaring angrily at it. The second man wondered if he dared speak, when his employer was in such a dangerous mood. He glanced once more at the darkened face, and decided he should at least try. He cleared his throat nervously. "So…what are we going to do, boss?"  
His employer scowled at the photograph, and glanced up at the man sitting opposite him.  
"This has to be dealt with. Quickly and carefully. The divorce will be official in six months. I want this to be over by the end of the fifth month- not too close to the divorce date, otherwise it will attract suspicion." His tone was sharp and impatient.  
"How?"  
"I don't want to risk losing the money. She's too rich. There's no possible way that I can ever get that kind of money this easily," his superior answered. There was a slight pause as his companion thought this over.  
"So…how do you want me to get rid of her?" he asked, thinking he knew the answer already. His employer picked up the photograph of his beautiful wife, and his mouth twisted into a cruel smile as he stared into her brown eyes.  
"Well, Hastings, accidents do happen. Especially now days." He chuckled darkly, and replaced the photograph on his desk, and Hastings stood numbly there for a moment. As his employer rotated his chair away from him, he realised he was being dismissed. He turned on his heel, and exited, leaving his employer alone in the darkened room once more.

The afternoon sun blazed the last of its golden light across the grassy field, winking at Jennifer as she flew along, hearing her horse's hooves pounding underneath her. She slowed to a trot and twisted around in her saddle. Jonathan raced towards her, catching up quickly.  
"Come on, darling! The sun will have disappeared completely by the time you get there!" Jennifer called back to him. Jonathan caught up and walked his horse beside hers. "We're not that slow, are we JJ?" he said to his horse, leaning forward and patting the mare's shiny, black coat. Jennifer laughed, and spurred her horse on, flashing past Jonathan.  
"Hey!" he exclaimed, and hastily nudged his horse's sides, following his wife off the field. They raced the sun through the trees as it sank further below the horizon, ducking under low branches and jumping over fallen boughs. Suddenly, they burst out of the woods, slowing the horses as they neared the white fence which laced the edge of a cliff. A large, blue lake spread out before them, with more green trees surrounding its shores. Jennifer halted her horse first, and jumped off to run to the fence, with Jonathan right behind her. She stepped up on the bottom rung of the fence, and Jonathan wrapped his arm around her waist as they watched the sunset together. Jennifer sighed peacefully, and Jonathan looked at her. She stared out at the sun, golden light washing over her face and lighting up her brown eyes. A soft breeze blew her wavy hair around her face, and Jonathan wondered, as he often did, how someone as beautiful as her had come to be his.  
"I can't think of anything more beautiful," Jennifer said softly, watching the sun slowly dip below the horizon. Jonathan tore his eyes away from her to glance at the sunset briefly.  
"I can," he answered, and Jennifer looked around at him, her eyebrows slightly raised in surprise. The corners of his mouth twitched as he tried not to smile, but she didn't miss it. She laughed and put her arms around his neck. He pulled her closer, and they kissed, hardly noticing as the last rays of sunlight disappeared below the blue lake. They smiled at each other, and Jonathan looked out over the lake.  
"Sun's gone," he remarked, and Jennifer followed his gaze. The sky was streaked with pink and purple, and the first tiny stars had begun to appear, winking at them from far away. They stared at the view for a moment, arms still around each other's waists, and then walked slowly back towards their horses.  
"I'll race you back," said Jennifer, jumping on and galloping away. Jonathan smiled after her, and then spurred his horse on, following her back across the field.

Jonathan opened the door, taking his and Jennifer's hats as he went. He draped them on the hat stand by the doorway and Jennifer followed him inside, closing the door after her. She began to make her way towards the living room, and Jonathan, seeing her, followed slowly behind his wife.  
"Jonathan, where's Max... oh, what's this?" she asked, stopping suddenly, staring at the coffee table. Two glasses of champagne stood in front of a crackling fire, and a small, white box sat in between them. She turned back to him.  
He smiled. "I gave Max the night off." Taking her hand, he led her over to the cream-coloured couches. He pulled her down beside him and took the two glasses of champagne.  
"Did you know it's our last night together?" he asked, handing her one of the glasses.  
"What? Oh, but it's gone so quickly!" she exclaimed sadly, looking down into the fire.  
"Yeah, it has," Jonathan agreed, taking a sip from his glass. Jennifer looked at him in confusion. "Then, why the champagne if we're leaving?" she asked, putting her glass on the coffee table. Jonathan leaned forward and kissed her.  
"Because I wanted to do something special," he answered, and picked up the white box. He held it out to her, and she laughed, looking at him as she opened the lid.  
"Oh, Jonathan…" she gasped as she glanced down. She pulled out the glittering emerald, a gold chain following it. Jonathan took it from her and dangled it around her neck, doing up the clasp at the back. Jennifer stared at the stone as it glinted in the firelight, and twisted around to face him. "It's beautiful. Thank you." She put the box back on the coffee table.  
"But, you know, you didn't have to go to all this trouble," she said to him, putting her arms around his neck.  
"I didn't?" he asked softly, gazing at her. Jennifer shook her head.  
"You're all the something special I need," she answered. Jonathan smiled, leaning forward to kiss her again, and they fell back onto the couch as the fire crackled behind them.

aste your document here...


	2. Chapter 2

Five Minus Hart Equals Four

Chapter 1

Two men sat in the room, drapes drawn firmly shut, even though the sun shone brightly outside. One of the two sat at a desk, finger tips pressed tightly together. He gazed at a large photograph on the desk, and even though his companion couldn't see his face clearly, he imagined that he was glaring angrily at it. The second man wondered if he dared speak, when his employer was in such a dangerous mood. He glanced once more at the darkened face, and decided he should at least try. He cleared his throat nervously. "So…what are we going to do, boss?"  
His employer scowled at the photograph, and glanced up at the man sitting opposite him.  
"This has to be dealt with. Quickly and carefully. The divorce will be official in six months. I want this to be over by the end of the fifth month- not too close to the divorce date, otherwise it will attract suspicion." His tone was sharp and impatient.  
"How?"  
"I don't want to risk losing the money. She's too rich. There's no possible way that I can ever get that kind of money this easily," his superior answered. There was a slight pause as his companion thought this over.  
"So…how do you want me to get rid of her?" he asked, thinking he knew the answer already. His employer picked up the photograph of his beautiful wife, and his mouth twisted into a cruel smile as he stared into her brown eyes.  
"Well, Hastings, accidents do happen. Especially now days." He chuckled darkly, and replaced the photograph on his desk, and Hastings stood numbly there for a moment. As his employer rotated his chair away from him, he realised he was being dismissed. He turned on his heel, and exited, leaving his employer alone in the darkened room once more.

The afternoon sun blazed the last of its golden light across the grassy field, winking at Jennifer as she flew along, hearing her horse's hooves pounding underneath her. She slowed to a trot and twisted around in her saddle. Jonathan raced towards her, catching up quickly.  
"Come on, darling! The sun will have disappeared completely by the time you get there!" Jennifer called back to him. Jonathan caught up and walked his horse beside hers. "We're not that slow, are we JJ?" he said to his horse, leaning forward and patting the mare's shiny, black coat. Jennifer laughed, and spurred her horse on, flashing past Jonathan.  
"Hey!" he exclaimed, and hastily nudged his horse's sides, following his wife off the field. They raced the sun through the trees as it sank further below the horizon, ducking under low branches and jumping over fallen boughs. Suddenly, they burst out of the woods, slowing the horses as they neared the white fence which laced the edge of a cliff. A large, blue lake spread out before them, with more green trees surrounding its shores. Jennifer halted her horse first, and jumped off to run to the fence, with Jonathan right behind her. She stepped up on the bottom rung of the fence, and Jonathan wrapped his arm around her waist as they watched the sunset together. Jennifer sighed peacefully, and Jonathan looked at her. She stared out at the sun, golden light washing over her face and lighting up her brown eyes. A soft breeze blew her wavy hair around her face, and Jonathan wondered, as he often did, how someone as beautiful as her had come to be his.  
"I can't think of anything more beautiful," Jennifer said softly, watching the sun slowly dip below the horizon. Jonathan tore his eyes away from her to glance at the sunset briefly.  
"I can," he answered, and Jennifer looked around at him, her eyebrows slightly raised in surprise. The corners of his mouth twitched as he tried not to smile, but she didn't miss it. She laughed and put her arms around his neck. He pulled her closer, and they kissed, hardly noticing as the last rays of sunlight disappeared below the blue lake. They smiled at each other, and Jonathan looked out over the lake.  
"Sun's gone," he remarked, and Jennifer followed his gaze. The sky was streaked with pink and purple, and the first tiny stars had begun to appear, winking at them from far away. They stared at the view for a moment, arms still around each other's waists, and then walked slowly back towards their horses.  
"I'll race you back," said Jennifer, jumping on and galloping away. Jonathan smiled after her, and then spurred his horse on, following her back across the field.

Jonathan opened the door, taking his and Jennifer's hats as he went. He draped them on the hat stand by the doorway and Jennifer followed him inside, closing the door after her. She began to make her way towards the living room, and Jonathan, seeing her, followed slowly behind his wife.  
"Jonathan, where's Max... oh, what's this?" she asked, stopping suddenly, staring at the coffee table. Two glasses of champagne stood in front of a crackling fire, and a small, white box sat in between them. She turned back to him.  
He smiled. "I gave Max the night off." Taking her hand, he led her over to the cream-coloured couches. He pulled her down beside him and took the two glasses of champagne.  
"Did you know it's our last night together?" he asked, handing her one of the glasses.  
"What? Oh, but it's gone so quickly!" she exclaimed sadly, looking down into the fire.  
"Yeah, it has," Jonathan agreed, taking a sip from his glass. Jennifer looked at him in confusion. "Then, why the champagne if we're leaving?" she asked, putting her glass on the coffee table. Jonathan leaned forward and kissed her.  
"Because I wanted to do something special," he answered, and picked up the white box. He held it out to her, and she laughed, looking at him as she opened the lid.  
"Oh, Jonathan…" she gasped as she glanced down. She pulled out the glittering emerald, a gold chain following it. Jonathan took it from her and dangled it around her neck, doing up the clasp at the back. Jennifer stared at the stone as it glinted in the firelight, and twisted around to face him. "It's beautiful. Thank you." She put the box back on the coffee table.  
"But, you know, you didn't have to go to all this trouble," she said to him, putting her arms around his neck.  
"I didn't?" he asked softly, gazing at her. Jennifer shook her head.  
"You're all the something special I need," she answered. Jonathan smiled, leaning forward to kiss her again, and they fell back onto the couch as the fire crackled behind them.

Chapter 2

Jennifer rubbed the condensation off her glass of water and looked unhappily up at Jonathan. His red tie dangled in front of her face as he leaned over her.  
"Darling, really, I think you should see a doctor. You've been so sick these past four days and it doesn't seem to be passing."  
"Jonathan, I'm fine. It'll be over in a few more days," Jennifer answered, sighing in exasperation. She wondered how many times she had said that to him already. Suddenly, as Jonathan watched, her face drained of the little colour it had left and she looked deathly pale.  
"Jennifer? Are you alright?" he asked, putting his hand on her shoulder in concern. She quickly took a gulp of water and a little colour slowly began to return to her face. She nodded, and Jonathan put a hand to her clammy forehead.  
"You've still got that fever," he said, and brushed a strand of hair off her sweaty face. "Maybe I should stay home and take you to a doctor."  
"No!" she said quickly. "Jonathan, I'll be fine. Max is here; he'll take care of me," Jennifer assured him. Jonathan considered for a moment, his blue eyes surveying her pale face.  
"Alright," he said finally, straightening up. "But if you need me, call and I'll be here."  
"Okay. I'll see you tonight," she said, leaning back on the pillows wearily. He leant forward and gently kissed her forehead, before heading towards the door and softly closing it as he left.

Jonathan quietly turned the handles of the double doors and pushed them open a little, peering through the small gap. Jennifer looked up from her book as she noticed the doors opening, and smiled at him. He straightened up, answering her smile, and walked over to her, sitting next to her on the bed.  
"Hi, darling," she said, and sat up straighter.  
"Hi. How are you feeling?" he asked, kissing her cheek.  
"A lot better."  
"Yeah, you're looking a lot better," he remarked, looking into her bright eyes.  
"How were things at the office?" she asked, putting her book on the bedside table.  
"Great. We've got that conference about the development of the company in a few weeks, so I've got Stanley drawing up some plans for me."  
"Don't keep him too busy," she said, smiling. "You know how hard he works."  
"Yeah. How about you? How was your day?" he asked, watching her face.  
"Oh, it was... fine," she answered, looking down to unnecessarily straighten the blanket. There was a pause, and Jennifer could feel him watching her. She looked up, meeting his persuasive, blue-eyed gaze. Finally, she gave up and sighed in defeat.  
"I went to the doctor's today," she said, looking away from his steady gaze. Jonathan's eyes were instantly full of concern.  
"You did? Did they find out what's wrong?" he asked, putting his hand on top of hers.  
"No. Everything's fine. It's just a stomach bug," she said, but Jonathan noticed her eyes held something back. He watched her for a moment, and then stood up, deciding to not press the subject for the moment. He walked into their wardrobe corridor and opened the door for his clothes, taking off his jacket as he went.  
"Actually, she did find something that will be there for a while," Jennifer called to him. Jonathan froze in the middle of undoing his tie. He walked back out to her, his eyebrows crossed in worry.  
"Really?" He sat next to her on the bed again. "How long is a while?"  
"Oh… about nine months." Her tone was casual, but her mouth twitched at the corners as she tried not to smile. She looked up at him, her eyes bright and excited. Jonathan thought about what she had just said, feeling puzzled for a moment. Then, it clicked.  
He looked up at her, his mouth opening in a small smile.  
"Darling…" he began slowly. "…do you mean…?" He glanced down at her stomach, and back at her. She nodded.  
"A _baby_?"  
"Yeah," she said softly.  
Jonathan stared at her for a second, and then his eyes lit up. He began to laugh and she joined in, her eyes no longer guarded. They hugged each other happily, and their laughter rang throughout the room even as they kissed.

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	3. Chapter 3

Five Minus Hart Equals Four

Chapter 1

Two men sat in the room, drapes drawn firmly shut, even though the sun shone brightly outside. One of the two sat at a desk, finger tips pressed tightly together. He gazed at a large photograph on the desk, and even though his companion couldn't see his face clearly, he imagined that he was glaring angrily at it. The second man wondered if he dared speak, when his employer was in such a dangerous mood. He glanced once more at the darkened face, and decided he should at least try. He cleared his throat nervously. "So…what are we going to do, boss?"  
His employer scowled at the photograph, and glanced up at the man sitting opposite him.  
"This has to be dealt with. Quickly and carefully. The divorce will be official in six months. I want this to be over by the end of the fifth month- not too close to the divorce date, otherwise it will attract suspicion." His tone was sharp and impatient.  
"How?"  
"I don't want to risk losing the money. She's too rich. There's no possible way that I can ever get that kind of money this easily," his superior answered. There was a slight pause as his companion thought this over.  
"So…how do you want me to get rid of her?" he asked, thinking he knew the answer already. His employer picked up the photograph of his beautiful wife, and his mouth twisted into a cruel smile as he stared into her brown eyes.  
"Well, Hastings, accidents do happen. Especially now days." He chuckled darkly, and replaced the photograph on his desk, and Hastings stood numbly there for a moment. As his employer rotated his chair away from him, he realised he was being dismissed. He turned on his heel, and exited, leaving his employer alone in the darkened room once more.

The afternoon sun blazed the last of its golden light across the grassy field, winking at Jennifer as she flew along, hearing her horse's hooves pounding underneath her. She slowed to a trot and twisted around in her saddle. Jonathan raced towards her, catching up quickly.  
"Come on, darling! The sun will have disappeared completely by the time you get there!" Jennifer called back to him. Jonathan caught up and walked his horse beside hers. "We're not that slow, are we JJ?" he said to his horse, leaning forward and patting the mare's shiny, black coat. Jennifer laughed, and spurred her horse on, flashing past Jonathan.  
"Hey!" he exclaimed, and hastily nudged his horse's sides, following his wife off the field. They raced the sun through the trees as it sank further below the horizon, ducking under low branches and jumping over fallen boughs. Suddenly, they burst out of the woods, slowing the horses as they neared the white fence which laced the edge of a cliff. A large, blue lake spread out before them, with more green trees surrounding its shores. Jennifer halted her horse first, and jumped off to run to the fence, with Jonathan right behind her. She stepped up on the bottom rung of the fence, and Jonathan wrapped his arm around her waist as they watched the sunset together. Jennifer sighed peacefully, and Jonathan looked at her. She stared out at the sun, golden light washing over her face and lighting up her brown eyes. A soft breeze blew her wavy hair around her face, and Jonathan wondered, as he often did, how someone as beautiful as her had come to be his.  
"I can't think of anything more beautiful," Jennifer said softly, watching the sun slowly dip below the horizon. Jonathan tore his eyes away from her to glance at the sunset briefly.  
"I can," he answered, and Jennifer looked around at him, her eyebrows slightly raised in surprise. The corners of his mouth twitched as he tried not to smile, but she didn't miss it. She laughed and put her arms around his neck. He pulled her closer, and they kissed, hardly noticing as the last rays of sunlight disappeared below the blue lake. They smiled at each other, and Jonathan looked out over the lake.  
"Sun's gone," he remarked, and Jennifer followed his gaze. The sky was streaked with pink and purple, and the first tiny stars had begun to appear, winking at them from far away. They stared at the view for a moment, arms still around each other's waists, and then walked slowly back towards their horses.  
"I'll race you back," said Jennifer, jumping on and galloping away. Jonathan smiled after her, and then spurred his horse on, following her back across the field.

Jonathan opened the door, taking his and Jennifer's hats as he went. He draped them on the hat stand by the doorway and Jennifer followed him inside, closing the door after her. She began to make her way towards the living room, and Jonathan, seeing her, followed slowly behind his wife.  
"Jonathan, where's Max... oh, what's this?" she asked, stopping suddenly, staring at the coffee table. Two glasses of champagne stood in front of a crackling fire, and a small, white box sat in between them. She turned back to him.  
He smiled. "I gave Max the night off." Taking her hand, he led her over to the cream-coloured couches. He pulled her down beside him and took the two glasses of champagne.  
"Did you know it's our last night together?" he asked, handing her one of the glasses.  
"What? Oh, but it's gone so quickly!" she exclaimed sadly, looking down into the fire.  
"Yeah, it has," Jonathan agreed, taking a sip from his glass. Jennifer looked at him in confusion. "Then, why the champagne if we're leaving?" she asked, putting her glass on the coffee table. Jonathan leaned forward and kissed her.  
"Because I wanted to do something special," he answered, and picked up the white box. He held it out to her, and she laughed, looking at him as she opened the lid.  
"Oh, Jonathan…" she gasped as she glanced down. She pulled out the glittering emerald, a gold chain following it. Jonathan took it from her and dangled it around her neck, doing up the clasp at the back. Jennifer stared at the stone as it glinted in the firelight, and twisted around to face him. "It's beautiful. Thank you." She put the box back on the coffee table.  
"But, you know, you didn't have to go to all this trouble," she said to him, putting her arms around his neck.  
"I didn't?" he asked softly, gazing at her. Jennifer shook her head.  
"You're all the something special I need," she answered. Jonathan smiled, leaning forward to kiss her again, and they fell back onto the couch as the fire crackled behind them.

Chapter 2

Jennifer rubbed the condensation off her glass of water and looked unhappily up at Jonathan. His red tie dangled in front of her face as he leaned over her.  
"Darling, really, I think you should see a doctor. You've been so sick these past four days and it doesn't seem to be passing."  
"Jonathan, I'm fine. It'll be over in a few more days," Jennifer answered, sighing in exasperation. She wondered how many times she had said that to him already. Suddenly, as Jonathan watched, her face drained of the little colour it had left and she looked deathly pale.  
"Jennifer? Are you alright?" he asked, putting his hand on her shoulder in concern. She quickly took a gulp of water and a little colour slowly began to return to her face. She nodded, and Jonathan put a hand to her clammy forehead.  
"You've still got that fever," he said, and brushed a strand of hair off her sweaty face. "Maybe I should stay home and take you to a doctor."  
"No!" she said quickly. "Jonathan, I'll be fine. Max is here; he'll take care of me," Jennifer assured him. Jonathan considered for a moment, his blue eyes surveying her pale face.  
"Alright," he said finally, straightening up. "But if you need me, call and I'll be here."  
"Okay. I'll see you tonight," she said, leaning back on the pillows wearily. He leant forward and gently kissed her forehead, before heading towards the door and softly closing it as he left.

Jonathan quietly turned the handles of the double doors and pushed them open a little, peering through the small gap. Jennifer looked up from her book as she noticed the doors opening, and smiled at him. He straightened up, answering her smile, and walked over to her, sitting next to her on the bed.  
"Hi, darling," she said, and sat up straighter.  
"Hi. How are you feeling?" he asked, kissing her cheek.  
"A lot better."  
"Yeah, you're looking a lot better," he remarked, looking into her bright eyes.  
"How were things at the office?" she asked, putting her book on the bedside table.  
"Great. We've got that conference about the development of the company in a few weeks, so I've got Stanley drawing up some plans for me."  
"Don't keep him too busy," she said, smiling. "You know how hard he works."  
"Yeah. How about you? How was your day?" he asked, watching her face.  
"Oh, it was... fine," she answered, looking down to unnecessarily straighten the blanket. There was a pause, and Jennifer could feel him watching her. She looked up, meeting his persuasive, blue-eyed gaze. Finally, she gave up and sighed in defeat.  
"I went to the doctor's today," she said, looking away from his steady gaze. Jonathan's eyes were instantly full of concern.  
"You did? Did they find out what's wrong?" he asked, putting his hand on top of hers.  
"No. Everything's fine. It's just a stomach bug," she said, but Jonathan noticed her eyes held something back. He watched her for a moment, and then stood up, deciding to not press the subject for the moment. He walked into their wardrobe corridor and opened the door for his clothes, taking off his jacket as he went.  
"Actually, she did find something that will be there for a while," Jennifer called to him. Jonathan froze in the middle of undoing his tie. He walked back out to her, his eyebrows crossed in worry.  
"Really?" He sat next to her on the bed again. "How long is a while?"  
"Oh… about nine months." Her tone was casual, but her mouth twitched at the corners as she tried not to smile. She looked up at him, her eyes bright and excited. Jonathan thought about what she had just said, feeling puzzled for a moment. Then, it clicked.  
He looked up at her, his mouth opening in a small smile.  
"Darling…" he began slowly. "…do you mean…?" He glanced down at her stomach, and back at her. She nodded.  
"A _baby_?"  
"Yeah," she said softly.  
Jonathan stared at her for a second, and then his eyes lit up. He began to laugh and she joined in, her eyes no longer guarded. They hugged each other happily, and their laughter rang throughout the room even as they kissed.

Chapter 3

13 weeks later

Jonathan opened the kitchen door, holding it ajar as Jennifer walked in. Their Löwchen, Freeway, ran over to greet them and Max looked up from the coffee he was making as they entered.  
"Morning Mr and Mrs H. Coffee?" he asked, pouring a cup for himself.  
"Thanks, Max," said Jonathan, picking up the newspaper which lay on the counter.  
"No, Max. Water will be fine," said Jennifer. Max looked up in surprise.  
"Mrs H, you always have coffee on Saturday morning!" he exclaimed. The Harts glanced at each other.  
"Well, I…need to keep my health up," Jennifer said, thinking quickly. She swiftly pulled her jacket across her blouse, inconspicuously hiding the grapefruit-sized bump in her stomach. Max shrugged his shoulders and poured her a glass of water as she and Jonathan sat down at the table. Max brought their drinks over and there was a brief silence as they drank.  
"We've got to go, Max," said Jonathan after a glance at the clock.  
"Mr H, your office isn't open on the weekend," Max said, feeling confused.  
"I know that. We, ah… we're just going out for a bit." They headed towards to door and Max stared after them.  
"Bye, Max," called Jennifer. The front door closed. Max looked down at Freeway who sat beside him.  
"Something's up, Freeway. They've been acting real secretive lately. Have they told you anything?" Max asked him. Freeway barked.  
"What? You can tell me!" Max assured him. Freeway bounced his head and sniffed in disagreement.  
"Aw, forget it." Max waved his hand impatiently at the dog and went to clear the cups away.

Jonathan opened the door and held it still for Jennifer as she entered, and then followed her over to the reception desk. A row of red leather seats stood along one wall, and several patients sat quietly waiting for their doctor. The receptionist looked up as they walked towards her and smiled welcomingly.  
"Good morning. How can I help you?" she asked, flashing white teeth.  
"We're here to see Dr Fields," answered Jennifer. The receptionist started flicking through the book in front of her.  
"Names?" she asked, still rifling through.  
"Hart. Jonathan and Jennifer," answered Jonathan. The receptionist stopped and ran her pen down the page, stopping beside their names.  
"Oh, yes. Dr Fields will be with you in a moment. Please take a seat," she said, gesturing to two empty chairs.  
"Thank you," they answered, and went to sit down. They were silent for a moment as they waited.  
"Oh, I've just remembered!" exclaimed Jennifer, sitting up straighter.  
"What?"  
"I've got a lunch date with Joan Peterson next Thursday," she answered, looking at him.  
"Joan…" said Jonathan blankly.  
"She and I went to high school together. It's been so long since I've seen her; it'll be good to catch up."  
"Oh, yeah. She's married to Charles Peterson now, isn't she?" asked Jonathan.  
"Yes."  
A young woman dressed in a white coat came into the waiting room.  
"Jonathan and Jennifer Hart," she called, and they stood up and followed her out of the room.

Jennifer lay back on the mattress, her shirt pulled back revealing the bump in her stomach. Jonathan sat next to her, and Jennifer looked over at him nervously. He took her hand and winked reassuringly at her. Suddenly, the door opened, and a man entered. His brown hair was greying, and he had a slight stomach which drooped a little below his belt. He smiled at them as he approached.  
"Hi, folks. I'm Dr Fields," he announced. Jonathan stood up and shook his hand, and Dr Fields leaned over to shake Jennifer's.  
"Shall we get started?" he asked, sitting down on the other side of Jennifer. His wheelie chair sank a little under his weight. She looked over at Jonathan who nodded.  
"Yeah, sure," he said, sitting back down beside his wife.  
"Great. Now, Jennifer, I'm going to put some special gel on your stomach so we can easily slide the scanning probe across. It also helps us to see the baby with ease," said Dr Fields, turning to the tray behind him. He brought a large tube around filled with clear liquid. Jonathan put his hand on Jennifer's shoulder as the doctor squeezed a spiral of the gel onto the bump in her stomach. Jennifer started slightly as it touched her skin.  
"Oh, it's cold," she said.  
"Yes, sorry about that," said the doctor, smiling at her. He wheeled the heavy, four-wheeled scanner around so that it was next to him. He pressed a button on the control panel, and the monitor whirred into life. A green line flashed briefly across the screen, and then it turned a dark grey colour. Dr Fields began typing on the keyboard set into the control panel, and Jonathan and Jennifer watched as their names appeared in tiny white writing on the screen.  
"Okay, now once we've found the baby, I'll be doing some extra tests just to see how the baby's going, and I'll put the results up on the screen here." He ran his pen down the right side of the monitor screen. "Okay. Are you ready?" the doctor asked, looking at the Harts. Jennifer nodded slowly, and the doctor placed the scanning probe on her stomach.  
"How many weeks pregnant are you, Jennifer?" Dr Fields asked, keeping his eyes on the screen.  
"Eighteen weeks and six days," she answered, immediately. He nodded and swivelled the probe around, spreading the gel. Suddenly, he stopped.  
"Ah. There you are," he said, and smiled. Jennifer and Jonathan both looked up at the screen and Jennifer gasped.  
Clearly visible on the monitor screen was the head and body of the baby. As they watched, it brought what was unmistakeably a fist to its mouth.  
"Oh, Jonathan. Can you see…?" breathed Jennifer as they stared at the screen.  
"Yeah, I can. Look at its hands!" he exclaimed softly, pointing to the baby's fist.  
"Now, the heartbeat rate is normal," said the doctor, tapping the screen where several numbers were typed in. "As far as I have examined, its development is normal. We can't tell whether it's a boy or girl just yet, but we'll see when it's a bit further into your pregnancy, Jennifer. So far, everything's fine."  
Jonathan breathed a sigh of relief.  
"Good," said Jennifer.  
Dr Fields turned the monitor off and handed them a roll of paper towel.  
"You can wipe the gel off, now. It's a great moisturiser, though," he joked. They laughed, and the doctor opened the door. "I'll be back in a second with the baby's first photo," he said and left. Jennifer cleaned the gel off her stomach and Jonathan picked up her clutch just as the doctor came back with an envelope.  
"There you go- congratulations. Now, you'll need to book an appointment with Janelle at the desk for regular check-ups to see how you're going," said Dr Fields as the Harts walked out into the corridor.  
"Great. Thank you so much, Doctor," said Jennifer.  
"You're welcome," he smiled, and after shaking hands with Jonathan, he closed the door.

The Harts quickly crossed the road together, and got into their yellow Mercedes. Jennifer opened her clutch and pulled out the white envelope, sliding the photo out as she went. Jonathan leaned over and looked at it with her, his arm around the back of her seat.  
"Oh, Jonathan. Isn't it amazing?" she said softly.  
"Yeah," he agreed. They stared at the photo of the baby for a moment, before Jonathan started the engine and entered the steady stream of traffic in front of them.  
"We'll have to start thinking of names," he said as they sped along.  
"Yes. Girl and boy names," said Jennifer, putting the photograph away again. Jonathan thought for a moment.  
"I've got one," he said, his mouth twitching. "How about Jonathan Hart Junior?" he suggested, grinning over at her.  
"Ha, ha," she said sarcastically. "Good to see you're using your imagination, Jonathan. But we already did that one, remember?"  
"Oh, yeah. That was the time that kid arrived in the middle of the night claiming to be Jonathan Hart Junior," he said, thinking back.  
"And we found out his mother was being blackmailed by the real father."  
"I remember now. Well, I'm all out of ideas," he said, smiling at her jokingly. They were quiet for a bit.  
"What about Max?" Jennifer said thoughtfully.  
"What about him?"  
"No, I mean for the baby's name," she said.  
"Max?" repeated Jonathan uncertainly.  
"Yes. Can't you see him running around the house wearing his chef's apron? And asking us if we want more coffee?" she said, smiling at him. Jonathan glanced at her and chuckled.  
"I don't think so, darling," he said. There was a short pause. "About Max…"  
"Don't say you've changed your mind!" Jennifer exclaimed.  
"No, I mean the Max at home," he explained.  
"What about him?"  
"Well, are we telling him about the baby?"  
Jennifer considered. "Well, we're past eighteen weeks. Almost into nineteen. It should be fine."  
"Ok. Boy is he in for the surprise of his life!" Jonathan said. Jennifer laughed.

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	4. Chapter 4

Jonathan pushed open the white swinging doors in front of him, and the darkness around him was thrown into bright light. He squinted, throwing his arms over his head for a moment as his eyes adjusted. A long white corridor stretched in front of him, broken only by another set of swinging doors. A white desk stood on his right, and a few chairs lined the corridor on his left, their faded blue cushions looking slightly squashed, as if they had been used many times. Jonathan walked over to the empty desk, and glanced down at the single object on it- a white telephone. Looking around, he abruptly realised he was in a hospital. But it felt strange- eerie. No one else was present.  
Jonathan's head jerked up as he suddenly heard a faint cry- a woman's. It sounded strangely familiar...  
Cautiously, Jonathan moved towards the next set of swinging doors, unsure of what he would find on the other side. He stretched out his hand, and gently pushed one open, frowning in confusion as he took in the scene before him. It was the exact same white corridor as the one he had just left. The white desk stood on his right, the chairs on his left. He began to walk towards the swinging doors at the end of the short corridor again, but froze as he heard another cry. It was still faint, but slightly louder like he was closer the woman. He took another cautious step, and suddenly, he heard his name.  
"Jonathan!"  
It was the woman. Her voice had now risen to a scream- a scream of pain and desperation. Suddenly, Jonathan realised he had to help the woman, to save her from whatever was hurting her. He began to run, heading towards the cries and shouts, which grew slowly louder as he crashed through door after door, speeding up as the woman's cries became more and more desperate.  
"JONATHAN!"  
Jonathan burst through the last set of swinging doors, and lurched to a stop. Four doctors crowded around a hospital bed, blocking his view of the person in the bed. He realised it was the woman he'd been hearing. Moving around the doctors, he finally saw her face, and with a shock, he recognised her.  
It was Jennifer.  
"Jennifer?" Jonathan knelt beside the bed and took her hand. "What's wrong? What's happening?"  
She looked up at him, sweat shiny on her forehead and tears glistening on her cheeks. Her brown eyes showed the pain and fright she felt.  
"Jonathan, the baby…" she began, but suddenly curled up over herself in pain. Looking down, Jonathan noticed her stomach, large underneath her white hospital gown. He was confused. She was only nineteen weeks pregnant- she wasn't supposed to be this big. Jennifer screamed, and a drop of sweat slid down the side of her face. Jonathan looked up at the motionless doctors.  
"What are you doing? Help her!" Jonathan ordered, his voice rising in frustration.  
"They are dying. We can't save her," answered one of the doctors, his voice soft and calm. Jonathan looked back at Jennifer as she collapsed back onto the pillows, breathing heavily. He became aware of a beeping sound, and glanced up to see a heart monitor standing next to her bed. As he watched, the pulsing line began to slow down, and Jonathan looked back at Jennifer. In the moment he had taken his eyes off her, the colour had drained out of her face and her breathing slowed.  
"No! She can't be dying. She was fine," Jonathan said to himself, refusing to believe the doctors. He knelt next to her again, looking all around for a way to save her.  
"Jonathan…" said Jennifer, barely managing a whisper. Jonathan looked at her. Behind him, the beeping sounded further and further apart, until it was nothing but a continuous, high-pitched note. Jennifer's brown eyes closed.  
"No… Jennifer. NO!"  
Jonathan sat up suddenly, darkness around him once more. He was disoriented, thinking he was still in the hospital. It was a moment before he realised it had been a dream. Shakily, he brought his hands up and ran them over his face, briefly feeling wetness around the corners of his eyes. He looked over at Jennifer, peacefully asleep beside him. He reached over to lightly brush a strand of soft hair off her face. Carefully, he swung his legs to the floor, glancing to check he hadn't woken Jennifer before standing up. He shrugged on his dressing gown from the end of the bed, and made his way over to the door, quietly closing it behind him.  
Jennifer rolled over, her left arm stretching over Jonathan's side of the bed. It was a moment before she realised that she could feel nothing but the warm sheet. Still half-asleep, she opened her eyes. Jonathan's spot lay empty. She sat up, looking all around the room for him. The clock on her bedside table read two in the morning. She pulled the covers off her and stood up, glancing down the short corridor in case he was in the bathroom, but no lights were on. Wrapping her dressing gown tightly around her, she went out onto the landing outside their room. After checking that Jonathan wasn't upstairs, she headed for the steps. The lounge room was dark, but suddenly, Jennifer heard a muffled noise from the kitchen. She pushed open the door, and strained her eyes in the darkness. She could just see the outline of someone sitting at the breakfast table, and she realised it was Jonathan. He had his elbows up on the table, seeming deep in thought. Freeway had his front paws on Jonathan's chair, and he was whining softly. Jennifer walked over to them, knowing that they could hear her.  
"Well, it's too late for dinner and too early for breakfast, so unless you're waiting for Freeway to get you something to eat, there's a lonely wife without her husband upstairs," she said, bending over Jonathan and putting her arms around his shoulders. He gave her a small smile, keeping his eyes on Freeway.  
"Jonathan, you do realise it's two o'clock in the morning?" Jennifer asked.  
"Yeah. I'm sorry if I woke you when I got up," he said.  
"How long have you been down here?"  
"Not long." He patted Freeway, who whined, sensing Jonathan's worry. Jennifer glanced down at Freeway and back at Jonathan. She sat down in the chair across from him so she could see his face.  
"What's wrong?" she asked.  
"I think he couldn't sleep," Jonathan answered, glancing down at Freeway. Jennifer frowned at him. "I meant you."  
Jonathan smiled at her briefly, but his smile quickly faded. There was a little pause as he patted Freeway.  
"I had a nightmare," he said quietly.  
"Oh." Jennifer was silent for a moment, feeling a little confused. "Darling, it was just a dream."  
"I know, but… it was so _real_. Everything that happened seemed real."  
"What was it about?" asked Jennifer.  
Jonathan was quiet for a moment before he answered.  
"You. And the baby." He rested his chin against his hands. "You were in the hospital and the baby was coming, but… something went wrong. You were both dying and I… I couldn't save you," Jonathan said quietly. He breathed out heavily. "I just… I can't shake the feeling that something's going to happen to you or the baby, and I won't be able to stop it." He leaned his closed eyes against his hands.  
Jennifer watched her husband as Freeway whined again, seeing how shaken he was from the nightmare. Standing up, she moved around so that she was kneeling on his left side, and looked up into his face. Jonathan didn't move.  
"Jonathan, look at me."  
He moved his hands away from his eyes to rest on his chin again.  
"When we got married, we promised each other that we'd stick together through the ups and downs no matter what. I know you're worried- I am too. Having a baby is a big thing. But making yourself think that something is going to go wrong isn't going to take the worry away. Nothing is going to happen. I know that we can make it through, and we will make it through… together. Alright?"  
Jonathan looked up, holding her gaze for a moment, then nodded. Jennifer stretched up to kiss his cheek, and then stood up.  
"Let's go to bed, huh?" she suggested.  
"Yeah," agreed Jonathan. He stood up and, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, they left the kitchen together, with Freeway following behind.

"Yes, don't worry, Dad. We'll come and visit you as soon as the baby's born," Jennifer reassured her father. Jonathan came in from the kitchen, and, seeing Jennifer at the desk he went over to her. She looked up as he approached, and he leant over the back of her chair to kiss her neck as she listened to Stephen on the telephone.  
"Well, we haven't really decided yet…"  
Jonathan watched her as she absent-mindedly stroked the desk she sat at.  
"Okay, I'll run them by him. Yes, we've started planning out the baby's bedroom." Jennifer picked up a large sheet of paper in front of her with various sketches on it. "Thanks, Dad. Okay, you too. Remember: don't call every day, once a week is enough. Okay. Bye." She turned to face Jonathan, who promptly kissed her.  
"Dad has some ideas for the baby's name," she told him.  
"Oh?"  
"He thinks Sarah if it's a girl and David if it's a boy. I told him they were rather old-fashioned," she said, rolling up the plans for the baby's room.  
"Hmm. I think Sarah's alright. I'm not sure about David, though," said Jonathan. They both looked up as Max entered with a duster.  
"Max, what do you think about the name Sarah for the baby? If it's a girl, that is," said Jonathan.  
"I don't know, Mr H. I was thinking the baby seemed like a Riley," Max answered.  
"Riley?" asked Jennifer.  
"Yeah, remember Riley? She stayed with us when JJ was racing," said Max.  
"I don't know…" said Jennifer sceptically.  
"I have an idea. Why don't we make a list of all the baby names we like, and then, when the baby's born, we can choose the one that we all like," suggested Jonathan.  
"Sounds like a plan," said Max, and moved off to do the cleaning. Jennifer looked at her wrist watch.  
"Darling, I have to leave soon. I'm meeting Joan at ten o'clock," she said, standing up.  
"Where are you meeting her?"  
"The Bottega Louie," she answered.  
"I'm leaving for the office soon. Why don't I drop you off since it's just around the corner from Hart Industries? You could walk across the road to meet me, and then I can drive us home again," said Jonathan.  
"Okay. Shall we go?" asked Jennifer, standing up.  
They grabbed their coats from the table and headed for the front door.  
"Bye, Max!" they called, before closing the door as they left.


	5. Chapter 5

"Oh Jennifer, it's so wonderful- I'm very happy for you!" exclaimed Joan, reaching across the table and touching Jennifer's hand.  
"Thanks, Joan. I'm glad we could meet today. It's been so long since I last saw you," said Jennifer, smiling at her friend.  
"I'm glad we could do this, too. I haven't seen any of my friends for such a long time. There's been no chances for me to meet anyone- I've been so busy lately."  
"How are things with Charles?" asked Jennifer, sipping her water. Joan slowly put her glass of wine down and hesitated.  
"Well…not so good, I'm afraid," she answered, sighing sadly.  
"Oh. I'm sorry," said Jennifer, putting her glass down.  
"No, it's fine. I'm the one who filed for the divorce, anyway. It's official in a few weeks."  
They both looked up as a waiter dressed in a white tuxedo glided over to their table. He looked down at Joan and smiled.  
"Mrs Hart, you ordered the crumbed fish?" he asked. Jennifer looked up at him in surprise.  
"Peter, you know me!" she exclaimed. The waiter looked at her and his mouth fell open.  
"Oh, Jennifer! I'm so sorry; I thought your friend was you! The similarity between you is striking!" he said, and scrutinised them for a moment.  
"You have the same hair and eye colour. From a distance I couldn't tell who was who! I'll get your meals," Peter said, and bustled away. Jennifer looked at Joan.  
"I'd forgotten how everyone used to mix us up. Remember how our old English teacher could never tell us apart?" she said.  
"Yes! I was Jennifer and you were Joan." They both laughed at the memory. Peter reappeared and placed their meals in front of them.  
"So, have you been living with Charles since you decided to divorce?" asked Jennifer, cutting a piece of fish.  
"No. He got quite…angry. I didn't feel safe with him anymore, so I bought an apartment. I've been there ever since," Joan answered. She sighed and looked sadly down at her plate.  
"You know, if you ever need a place to stay, there's always a spare room at our house," said Jennifer. Joan smiled at her.  
"Thanks, Jen. You and Jonathan have always been so kind to me. I just wish that one day I could return the favours."  
"What are friends for?" said Jennifer, and smiled.

The telephone rang, shrilly echoing through the darkened room. Hastings raised his head sleepily, and reached over to the bedside table to pick up the telephone.  
"'Lo?" he grunted.  
"Where the heck are you!? You were supposed to be here half an hour ago to pick up the car!" screamed a voice from the other end. Hastings recognised his boss' voice, and his eyes flew open.  
"I'm sorry, boss- I forgot…" said Hastings, jumping up and proceeding to try and pull his shirt on with one arm.  
"Don't give me excuses! Just get over here!" Charles yelled, and the line abruptly went dead. Hastings dropped the telephone and ran out of the room to find his jacket.

Jennifer and Joan stood outside The Bottega Louie, saying goodbye to each other.  
"Bye, Jen. Thanks again for coming," said Joan, hugging her friend.  
"You're welcome. We should do this more often. And remember, if you need a place to stay, we're always open," said Jennifer.  
"Thanks. I guess I'll see you around, sometime," said Joan, getting into her car. Jennifer waved as she drove off. She stared after the car as it turned the corner at the end of the street, then she slowly turned around and began to walk down the pavement, glancing up at Hart Industries as she went.  
Suddenly, she froze in the middle of the path, and her hand dropped to her stomach. She could feel a strange, fluttery movement underneath her fingers, and with a shock, she realised it was the baby. For a moment, she stood there as she felt the baby move for the first time, realising that it really was a little Hart in there, not just a still photograph or much-talked about subject. She smiled, and walked to the edge of the surprisingly quiet street, one hand still cradling the baby. After glancing both ways, she stepped out onto the bitumen.  
Suddenly, with a screeching of tyres, a car skidded around the corner and raced along the road. As she turned her head, Jennifer had a glimpse of her reflection in the hood of the car just as it hit her, her expression shifting from happiness to horror in that one moment. She screamed as she was knocked backwards onto the road, rolling over and over and finally stopping on her back. The car continued on, tearing down the street, not bothering to stop and help. Jennifer lay on the ground, just conscious enough to feel the movement of the baby stop. She could feel nothing as her hand moved once more to her stomach, before the sky above her flickered and darkness covered her.


	6. Chapter 6

Jonathan leaned back in his chair and surveyed the graph in front of him as he and Dave listened to Stanley.  
"I'm telling you, Mr Hart, if we keep our current sales up, in two months, we have the money to fully support the San Francisco Orphanage," said Stanley, handing him and Dave another graph. Jonathan nodded as he scanned across the information, and there was a short silence. He heard the telephone on his secretary's desk outside ring.  
"Just out of interest, Jonathan, why are you so persistent with supporting the orphanage?" asked Dave. Jonathan put the graphs on the table in front of him.  
"I grew up there. Until Max found me. I owe a lot to that orphanage," he answered, pouring himself some more brandy. The three men looked up as the door opened. Jonathan's secretary came in, wringing her hands in obvious distress.  
"Mr Hart, I need to speak with you," she said, her forehead creased in worry.  
"Deane, we're in an important meeting. Can't it wait till after?" asked Jonathan, sipping his drink.  
"No sir. It's about Mrs Hart," answered Deane. Jonathan's light expression became very grave as he put down his glass. Immediately, he stood up and followed Deane out to her desk, forgetting about Stanley and Dave.  
"What's happened Deane?" he asked, the moment she had closed the door.  
"There's been an accident, Mr Hart," she said, her voice breaking. "Mrs Hart's in hospital."  
There was a pause as Jonathan registered this.  
"What happened?" he asked.  
"I don't know. I just got a call from the hospital saying a Mrs Jennifer Hart had been picked up outside Jonathan Hart Industries half an hour ago," answered Deane, a couple of tears spilling over. "Something involving a car- I heard the ambulance outside, but I didn't think anything of it."  
Jonathan stood frozen for a moment, remembering. He'd heard the sirens, too.  
"Deane, I've got to go. Can you explain to them…?" he asked, opening the glass door leading out of her office. She nodded, and Jonathan ran down the corridor and into the elevator, as Deane wiped her eyes and went back into his office.

Jonathan shoved open the glass door, and the cool air conditioning blasted his face as he ran over to the hospital's reception desk.  
"I need to see my wife. She's been in an accident." The words came out quickly, slurring together slightly.  
"What's her name?" asked the nurse calmly.  
"Jennifer Hart."  
The nurse glanced down at the book in front of her and ran her pen down the page. It seemed to move so slowly; Jonathan felt a surge of frustration. Why wasn't she going any faster? Didn't she see that he needed to get to Jennifer?  
Finally, the nurse nodded. "They brought her in about forty-five minutes ago. She's in a stable condition, now, however I believe Dr Wilder would like to see you first."  
"I don't think you understand- I need to see my wife now…"  
"Mr Hart."  
Jonathan spun around to see a man in a white coat behind him. He seemed in his mid-thirties, his brown hair streaked with a few fine lines of grey. He held out his hand.  
"Dr Luke Wilder. I'm looking after your wife."  
Jonathan shook his hand. "What happened? I need to see her."  
"Yes, of course, Mr Hart. Come with me," said Dr Wilder, and turned to walk down the corridor, with Jonathan just behind him. They turned left, and Dr Wilder stopped outside number seventy-six. Jonathan reached for the door handle.  
"Quietly. She's still asleep," Dr Wilder warned. Jonathan pushed open the door.  
Jennifer lay propped up on a pillow, with stitches over her right eyebrow and dirt on her face. A purple bruise hovered over her left cheekbone, which was slightly swollen. Her right arm draped limply over the side of the bed, and her white hospital gown shuddered as she breathed shakily. Jonathan sat down in the chair beside her bed, reaching out to lightly touch her arm.  
"When will she wake?" he asked, turning to face Dr Wilder.  
"Probably not for another ten minutes. We gave her a pretty strong sedation- we had to operate quickly," Dr Wilder answered. Jonathan frowned in confusion.  
"Operate? Why did you need to operate?" he asked.  
Dr Wilder sighed quietly, and picked up the metal chart at the end of Jennifer's bed.  
"There was an accident; apparently it was a hit and run. Mrs Hart was hit by a car while crossing the street, and…" Dr Wilder hesitated and put the chart down.  
"I'm very sorry, Mr Hart. Your wife lost the baby she was carrying."  
Jonathan stared at him for a moment. He couldn't take in what he'd said. The baby was still there; it had to be.  
"We had to operate quickly to get the baby out, in case there was a chance it was still alive, but…" He trailed off and shook his head, sadly. Jonathan stared at him, feeling dazed and confused. Slowly, he nodded.  
"I thought it would be easier for Mrs Hart to hear the news from you. But if you think she'd prefer to hear it from me, I can tell her," offered Dr Wilder.  
"Uh…" It took Jonathan a moment to remember how to form a sentence. "No, no. I think she'd prefer to hear it from me," he said, looking back at Jennifer's limp figure. He still couldn't understand what the doctor meant. How could the baby not be there?  
"Alright." He put his hand on Jonathan's shoulder. "I'm sorry about your baby, Mr Hart."  
_Your baby_. The words rang in Jonathan's ears, and suddenly, painfully, all the words made sense. He looked up at the doctor as he headed for the door.  
"Doctor?" he said, quietly. Dr Wilder turned around.  
"The… the baby- was it a girl or boy?" he asked. Dr Wilder gave him the tiniest shadow of a smile.  
"It was a girl. I'm sorry, Mr Hart." And with that, he turned and left, closing the door behind him.  
Jonathan turned back to Jennifer, gently tucking the blanket around her. So they'd had a little girl. He wondered what her name would have been- Riley, perhaps? He liked the name.  
Jennifer stirred, and she moved her arm away from the edge of the bed. Jonathan watched her anxiously as her brown eyes opened and found his face.  
"Jonathan?" she said weakly, her voice barely above a whisper. Jonathan gave her the biggest smile he could manage.  
"Hi. How are you feeling?" he asked her, trying to keep his voice steady.  
"I don't know… the car…" said Jennifer, her voice rising in panic as she remembered. Jonathan put his hand on her arm, and gently rubbed it soothingly.  
"Shh, it's alright. You're safe, now," he said, softly. Jennifer looked at him, and her eyes filled with tears.  
"I'm sorry…" she whispered, and the tears spilled over. Jonathan pulled her into his arms as she cried, stroking her cheek lightly to try and calm her down. He pressed his lips into her soft hair.  
"Do you remember anything that happened?" he asked, his voice slightly muffled by her brown curls. She pulled away from him, and he wiped the tears off her face, smudging the dirt.  
"I remember saying goodbye to Joan, and then I started crossing the road to your office. I-," she paused as she struggled to remember. "There was a car. It came around the corner so fast, and I had no time to move. The baby…" Jennifer broke off suddenly, staring into space.  
"Jennifer? What's wrong?" asked Jonathan worriedly.  
She shook her head, and slowly, she brought her hand down to the creased hospital gown she wore. She touched the thin fabric, and pushed down on it, expecting to feel the bump in her stomach. But there was only air, and suddenly, her hand met with her flat stomach.  
She sat there, frozen, unable to take in what was happening. A million emotions ran around her head; confusion, worry, confusion again…  
"Jonathan…" She looked up at him. "Where's the baby?"  
Jonathan looked down at his hand on top of hers. "Darling, they… they had to get the baby out," he said, trying to keep his voice steady.  
"And? Is the baby alright?" Jennifer asked, her voice lifting hopefully. Jonathan felt moisture burn in his eyes, and he kept his gaze down. "No, darling. She's not alright."  
Jennifer stared at him, confused, and Jonathan finally found the courage to look at her.  
"We lost the baby," he said, and his voice broke. Jennifer's stare froze, and she finally began to understand what his words meant. She swallowed hard, her throat suddenly dry.  
"You said she?" whispered Jennifer. Jonathan nodded. "It was a little girl," he explained. "We had a daughter." A tear slid down his face. Jennifer's vision was blurred as tears began to fall down her cheeks.  
"I'm sorry," he tried to say, but his voice seemed to have disappeared. Jennifer touched his arm and he met her brown-eyed gaze. At the same time, they reached for each other, and their shoulders began to shake uncontrollably as they held one another, suddenly feeling as if their tears could never stop.


	7. Chapter 7

Hastings stood in front of Charles, feeling a sense of déjà vu. The office was once more darkened secretively and Charles' face was hidden in the shadow. He delicately touched his fingertips together, looking down at the creased newspaper in front of him.  
"I'm disappointed in you, Mr Hastings," said Charles quietly, not quite hiding the anger which shook his voice slightly. He brought a hand down and tapped the newspaper. Hastings glanced down at the newspaper's heading:  
INDUSTRIALIST'S WIFE HOSPITALIZED FROM HIT AND RUN

There was a pause.  
"I'm sorry, boss. The lady looked exactly like Joan!" Hastings said, defensively.  
"Joan must be dead by next Thursday. You had the perfect chance to kill her, and you blew it because you wanted to sleep!?" said Charles, raising his voice. He stood up and began to stride around the room impatiently.  
"We don't know when the next opportunity will be. We have less than a week in which to kill Joan, and now it's going to be even more difficult. She's not stupid; surely she suspects something."  
"I'll try again, boss. I'll take another car out and…" began Hastings.  
"No! Two hits in a matter of days is too suspicious. I'll go after her. And this time, no mistakes will be made."

Jennifer climbed the last of the steps leading to their bedroom, and opened the double doors. She began to bypass the bed, heading for the bathroom, but something on the mattress caught her eye and she stopped in her tracks. She turned back to the bed and saw that it was a small, white envelope lying open near the pillows. She sat down next to it, and gently slid a white square onto her palm. Feeling something glossy on the other side, she turned it over, and found herself looking at the photo of the baby's ultrasound. Her eyes began to fill with tears as she stared at it.  
"Darling?" came Jonathan's voice from the bottom of the stairs. There was no answer, so he climbed the steps and came into the bedroom where Jennifer sat.  
"Darling, Max wants to know if you want…" he trailed off as he realised what she was holding. He came over to sit down beside her, and as he put his arm around her, she fell against his shoulder, tears running down her cheeks. Jonathan took the other side of the photo, and they both looked down at the only image of their daughter.  
"I found our list of names. And the plans for the baby's room," Jennifer said, unfolding a sheet of paper from her pocket. There was a pause as they glanced down the small list. Jonathan, Max and David stood in the boys' column; Sarah and Riley in the girls'.  
"And, I didn't tell you before because of everything that happened, but…" Jennifer sniffed, and fresh tears poured down her face. "…That day, after I'd said goodbye to Joan, I felt her move for the first time." She wiped away the tears. "I wanted to tell you, but…it was too late." There was another silence as they sat staring at the photo.  
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I let this happen to you. To…us. It's all my fault," Jonathan said quietly, hanging his head in his hands.  
"No, Jonathan. It wasn't your fault. We couldn't have seen this coming," said Jennifer, firmly.  
"But I should have known you would be in danger."  
"How could you? Do you think anyone knew what was going to happen that day? It's no one's fault," she said, taking his hand away from his face. "Don't blame yourself for this."  
Jonathan brought his other hand down, and lightly touched the back of her hand. He looked up at her, and she put her arm around his shoulders, kissing his forehead. She glanced down at the photo again, and stood up, walking into the corridor of their clothes and pulling a small cardboard box from the cupboard. She brought it back to the bed, and picked up the sheet of names and the plans for the baby room.  
"We should keep these," Jennifer said. She carefully folded the plans in half and placed them on the bottom of the box, putting the page of baby names on top. Jonathan got up to stand beside her, and gently laid their daughter's photo on top. They both stared at it for a moment, before Jennifer closed the box, her fingers trailing across the lid. Wrapping their arms around each other's waists, the Harts turned and slowly made their way out, closing the doors softly behind them.


	8. Chapter 8

Joan flipped the newspaper over in her hands, glaring at the title. She slapped it onto the desk and picked up the telephone which lay beside it, viciously pulling the numbers around. She tapped her foot impatiently as it dialled. On the third ring, the other line was picked up.  
"Charles Peterson speaking," came her husband's deep voice.  
"How dare you."  
Charles immediately recognised Joan's voice and sighed.  
"I warned you, Joan. And you should be happy. At least you friend isn't dead…"  
"But you still committed murder! Jennifer was pregnant! She lost the baby because of you!" Joan shouted into the mouth piece.  
"Don't you shout at me, young lady! I haven't finished with you, yet," said Charles, raising his voice slightly in anger.  
"Don't bother threatening me, Charles. It doesn't scare me, anymore."  
"Even so. If I were you, I'd watch my back. Because, one day, Joan Peterson, you're going to wake up dead," said Charles, and hung up. Joan stood there in shocked silence for a moment, and then slowly put the telephone down. She hung her head in her hands and moaned quietly. Even though she had said that Charles' threats didn't scare her anymore, she knew that he always meant what he said. Quickly, she grabbed her jacket from the back of the chair and rushed out the door, banging it shut behind her.

"Thank you, Lieutenant. Yes, Lieutenant, I'll remember. Goodbye, Lieutenant." Jonathan put the telephone down on the receiver and turned as he heard footsteps behind him.  
"Who was that, darling?" asked Jennifer, putting the vase she carried down.  
"Lieutenant Gillis. He said the car that hit you was found dumped in a ditch. There were absolutely no finger prints on it at all," answered Jonathan, thinking hard. Jennifer watched him suspiciously, recognising the expression on his face.  
"Jonathan…you're not getting involved in this, are you?" she said, crossing her arms.  
He looked at her and the corners of his mouth twitched teasingly.  
"Oh no, darling," he assured her. "I just felt like calling the Lieutenant up. It's been a whole week since I last spoke to him, you know."  
"Uh-huh," said Jennifer, coming closer to him and putting her arms around his neck. "And, what were you and the Lieutenant talking about?"  
"Oh, you know, the usual police talk. The latest attempted murder on the front page of the newspaper," he answered, wrapping his arms around her waist.  
"Of course," said Jennifer, and smiled at him. Jonathan grinned back at her.  
"You don't believe me, do you?"  
"Nuh-uh," said Jennifer, and kissed him.  
The telephone in the kitchen rang, and Max went over to answer it.  
"Hart residence," he said.  
"I'd like to speak to the Harts, please," came a woman's voice.  
"Whom shall I say is calling?" asked Max.  
"Joan Peterson."  
"Hold on," said Max, and went into the lounge room. "Excuse me, Mr and Mrs H."  
Jonathan and Jennifer both looked at him.  
"There's a Joan Peterson waiting at the gate. Should I let her in?" asked Max. Jennifer looked at Jonathan and sighed.  
"I knew she would come," she said quietly. "Yes, let her in," she said to Max, and he returned to the kitchen.  
"Come on up," said Max, and pushed the button for the gate.

Jonathan, Jennifer and Joan sat silently in the living room. A tea tray sat on the coffee table in front of them, but no one had taken anything.  
"I'm so sorry- to both of you. It's all my fault…" began Joan.  
"Joan, it was not your fault," said Jennifer firmly.  
Joan's brown eyes filled with tears as she looked down at her hands, clasped in her lap.  
"Actually, it was," she said quietly.  
"What do you mean?" asked Jonathan. She looked up at him.  
"It was Charles. He…he threatened me after I said I wanted a divorce. I didn't take him seriously before it was…too late," she answered. The Harts sat in silence as she wiped away her tears.  
"He sent one of his men out to get me. They knew I was having lunch with you, Jennifer. They thought they could get me as I left, not thinking I might have a car." Joan sniffed, and more tears ran down her cheeks.  
"You know how everyone gets us mixed up? From a distance, or inside a car, anyone would think we were twins, as Peter said. They hit the wrong girl, and now you're paying the price for my mistake. I called Charles as soon as I read the paper this morning. He threatened me again and I…I had to warn you, in case they get us mixed up again," said Joan.  
There was a pause.  
"You said he got angry when you mentioned a divorce…" said Jennifer, slowly.  
"Yes. I never thought he'd go so far as murder, though." They were all silent.  
"Joan, I think you should stay here for a while…" began Jennifer.  
"No!" she said quickly. "I'm not putting you two in danger again. I- I'll be fine," she lied. "Maybe I'll go and live with my friend in New York. Charles won't find me there."  
"If you're sure…" said Jennifer, doubtfully.  
"Yes," said Joan firmly, and stood up. Jonathan and Jennifer followed her to the front door.  
"Goodbye," she said, and kissed them both.  
"We'll call you tomorrow," said Jonathan.  
"Thanks," said Joan, and closed the door after herself.  
"Do you think she'll be alright?" Jennifer asked, turning to Jonathan anxiously.  
"I'm not sure," answered Jonathan, putting his arm around her waist. They walked slowly back towards the living room.  
"We have to do something," said Jennifer.  
"Yes, but what?"  
They were silent in thought for a moment.  
"Well, we know who the potential murderer is," said Jennifer.  
"Yes, but what's his motif?" asked Jonathan.  
"Does that matter?"  
"How can we prove he tried to kill her if he had no motif?" he pointed out.  
"She's very rich…" said Jennifer slowly.  
"Charles already has money."  
"Yes, but darling, have you ever heard of anyone having too much money?" asked Jennifer.  
"Mmm," he said distractedly. Jennifer looked at him, recognising his tone.  
"What? Do you have a plan?" she asked.  
"Yeah," he answered, and glanced at her. "He wants to kill her, so why don't we give him that opportunity?"  
Jennifer looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"  
"What if I called Charles and told him I wanted revenge for your accident? I could tell him that Joan told us everything, and that I'm willing to give him Joan if he gets rid of her for me."  
Jennifer thought for a moment. "I don't know, Jonathan. It seems very risky. And anyway, you don't seem like the type to want revenge."  
"That's the beauty of it, darling." He kissed her. "He doesn't know me."  
"All right," she agreed. "Let's call Joan."


	9. Chapter 9

The telephone rang, echoing loudly throughout the office. Charles came over from the window where he stood, and picked it up.  
"Charles Peterson."  
"Mr Peterson. Jonathan Hart," answered the caller.  
Charles raised his eyebrows in surprise.  
"Mr Hart. This is unexpected. I read about what happened to your wife. I'm terribly sorry…" began Charles.  
"Forget it, Peterson. I know you were involved," Jonathan interrupted. "Joan told me everything; I know it's her fault. She also told me how you threatened her."  
"Mr Hart…"  
"So I want to make a deal with you," he continued loudly over Charles. "I'll give you Joan Peterson if you take care of her for me."  
There was a shocked silence.  
"This is very, um…_sudden_, Mr Hart," said Charles, carefully.  
"I don't care. Do you want Joan, or not?" asked Jonathan, impatiently.  
There was a pause as Charles considered.  
"Yes."  
"Good. Then, I'll meet you at your place tomorrow at twelve o'clock pm. Be ready." And suddenly the line went dead. Charles stayed frozen for a moment, the telephone still at his ear. Then, slowly he put the receiver down, and went back to the window, a cruel smile playing around his lips.

Hastings faced Charles behind his desk, the little tape recorder on the desk between them. Hastings watched his employer's face as they listened to the conversation between Jonathan Hart and Joan.  
"He's agreed to my plan. He thinks he's hit the jack pot," Jonathan was saying.  
"Well, just be careful, Jonathan. Charles is smarter than you might think," Joan warned him. "So what do we do now that he's agreed to kill me for you?"  
"I don't know. I've told him we'll come to his place tomorrow at twelve pm. Somehow we've got to organise this…I'll call you back when I think of a plan," he decided.  
"Okay. Thanks, Jonathan…"  
Charles abruptly snapped the recording off, and Joan's voice was cut short. He stood up and began striding angrily around the room.  
"It's a good thing we had her telephone bugged," he said as he paced.  
"So what do we do, boss?" asked Hastings, taking the tape out. He felt like he'd been asking that a lot lately. Charles paused mid-stride as he thought. He glanced at his desk, where the newspaper still lay. Jennifer Hart smiled at him from underneath the black headline.  
"Well, at least we know Mr Hart will come running the moment his wife is in danger," he said. He walked over to the window and looked out, chuckling with no humour. "I think I see a way how we can get Joan back here in time."

Jonathan and Jennifer sat at the breakfast table, their cutlery chinking against the china plates as they ate. Jennifer looked up suddenly and turned back to Max, who was cooking another omelette.  
"Max, I've got a presentation to attend today for a journalism course, so I won't be home for dinner tonight," she said.  
"Okay, Mrs H. I'll leave a plate in the fridge," said Max.  
"That would be great," Jennifer said, and turned back to her breakfast. Jonathan stared at her.  
"You've never mentioned this presentation before," he said. She looked up at him.  
"Well, it was a rather last-minute decision. I was asked to attend the course three weeks ago, and with everything that's been happening lately, I just didn't think I was able to do it." She glanced up at her wrist-watch. "I've got to go." She stood up and made her way out to the front door, Jonathan following behind her. Just as she had her hand on the door handle, Jonathan lightly spun her around so that she faced him again.  
"Darling, are you sure you're ready to go back to work so soon?" he asked quietly. "I mean, things have just gone so fast. Are you alright?"  
"Jonathan, I'm fine. Today is just a one-off thing. We've all been asked to take this journalism course," she assured him, swiftly kissing him goodbye. "I'll see you tonight," she said, and closed the door as she left, leaving Jonathan standing uncertainly by the door.

Jennifer followed Sarah out onto the pavement, waiting as she locked the door.  
"I thought Dr Jones' talk was very inspiring," Sarah was saying.  
"Yes. He seems to have had a lot of experience for someone so young. Well, I guess I'll see you around, Sarah."  
"Yeah, bye Jennifer. Will you be alright walking to your car?" Sarah asked, dropping the keys into her pocket.  
"Yes, thanks. That's the problem with arriving late- you have to park a long way away," smiled Jennifer.  
"Okay. Bye," said Sarah, getting into her car. Jennifer waved as she drove off down the street, then everything was silent. She pulled her car keys out of her pocket, and walked quickly along the dark street, pulling her jacket tighter around her as a cool breeze lifted her hair.  
Suddenly, head lights flooded the street as a car raced around the corner, and stopped with a lurch beside her. Jennifer froze in shock; there was no time to move as a man jumped out and grabbed her. He swiftly clamped a cloth around her mouth, just as she began to scream and pulled her into the car with him. The engine started again, and the car sped away, leaving the street as empty and quiet as before.


	10. Chapter 10

Max opened the kitchen door, holding a glass of brandy. He looked up and saw Jonathan still pacing the floor, thinking hard.  
"Mr H, have a drink," Max said, holding the glass out to him. Jonathan didn't hear.  
"She would have called if she was going to be late," he said, half to himself. Max put the drink down on the coffee table.  
"Why don't we just call the police?" he suggested.  
"Yeah, I'm thinking we should…" began Jonathan, but he was interrupted by the telephone ringing. He paused and stared at it, and Max went over and picked it up. Jonathan picked up the one from the lamp table and covered the mouthpiece so he could listen.  
"Hart residence," answered Max.  
"I would like to speak to Jonathan Hart, please," came Charles Peterson's voice.  
Max glanced over at Jonathan, who pressed a button on his telephone. Max covered his mouthpiece so he could listen.  
"Jonathan Hart."  
"I'm sorry if I've disturbed your morning, Mr Hart, but we have a bit of a… problem. I thought we had an agreement. You would deliver Joan to me for revenge. But, a little birdie tells me that you weren't intending to hand her over." Charles' light tone changed to one of slight anger. "As Joan said, Mr Hart, I'm smarter than you might think. Joan's telephone has been bugged for quite a long time, now. It's very interesting- the conversations she has with her friends. Some of them prove fatal for the ones she wants to protect."  
"What have you done with my wife?" asked Jonathan, his voice rising in anger.  
"Patience, Mr Hart. She's safe. She's going to give you some instructions, so if I were you, I'd listen very carefully," said Charles. There was a brief pause.  
"Jonathan…" came Jennifer's voice.  
"Darling. Are you alright?" Jonathan asked.  
"Yes, I'm fine. Charles wants me to pass a message to you," Jennifer said. She glanced up at Charles and Hastings standing over her. Hastings nudged the gun he held at her, and her hands shook slightly as she opened the crumpled up piece of paper she held. "Bring Joan to the construction site at Hansen's Yard by three pm today," she read. "Use the main entrance…" She started as Charles snatched the telephone off her.  
"Jennifer?" came Jonathan's worried voice.  
"So, I hope you listened carefully, Mr Hart, because, even though I enjoy having guests, especially ones as beautiful as Mrs Hart, sooner or later, they have to leave. And if you're not at Hansen's Yard by three o'clock, well…I just hope you said goodbye to Jennifer. But I must warn you, Mr Hart. If I get even a hint of police involvement, you will not see your wife again," said Charles, and the line went dead. Jonathan and Max put their telephones down, and Max hurried over to him.  
"What are we going to do, Mr H?"  
Jonathan picked up the telephone again and dialled.  
"We're going to call the police," he answered.  
"But Mr H, they said they'd kill Mrs H if the police are involved…"  
"I know, Max. But I have an idea. Could you call Joan and ask her to come over?" asked Jonathan, holding the receiver to his ear. Max nodded and headed over to the other telephone.  
"Lieutenant. Jonathan Hart. I think I know who tried to kill my wife…yes, I know that's your job, but I'm going to need some help with this…"

The yellow Mercedes-Benz raced along the road, shuddering slightly as the bitumen turned to gravel. In the back seat, Joan glanced at her watch. It read two minutes to three pm.  
"I don't understand, Jonathan. How are you going to pull this off?" she asked.  
"It's risky, I know. But Lieutenant Gillis assured me that he had the best men posing as the workers. They'll be situated close to where we are. Hopefully, once we find Jennifer, the police will intervene," he answered.  
"What about me?" she asked.  
"Don't worry. The police won't let Charles leave with you. Turn off here, Max," he said, and Max spun the wheel around and stopped the car.  
Jonathan got out, and helped Joan out, turning back to Max.  
"Stay here, Max."  
"Okay, Mr H," said Max, lighting a cigar.  
Jonathan led the way along a narrow path which ran beside a high metal gate, Joan following cautiously behind him. They rounded the corner, and suddenly found themselves in a wide dirt area. A large construction frame stood on their left sides, and a tall crane towered over everything on the right. Several policemen disguised as the workers wound their way around the construction frame. Jonathan sped up as he noticed Charles standing in the middle of the dirt area, looking at his watch.  
"Just in time, Mr Hart. I thought you wouldn't make it," he said, looking up at them as they approached. Jonathan and Joan stopped about ten metres away from him.  
"Where's Jennifer?" asked Jonathan. Charles chuckled darkly with humour that didn't touch his eyes.  
"All in good time. First things first, I need my wife before you'll get yours."  
"How do I know Jennifer is really here?" said Jonathan.  
"You'll just have to trust me. Send Joan over," he said, all traces of humour gone.  
Jonathan glanced at Joan, who looked worriedly up at him. A movement behind her in the construction frame caught his eye; one of the workmen drew his gun and aimed at Charles.  
"She's not in danger. Jennifer is. I want my wife safely beside me before I'll give you Joan," he answered, staring steadily at Charles.  
"Mr Hart, I'm afraid patience is not one of my strongest attributes…"  
"It's not my strongest point, either," Jonathan interrupted, raising his voice as he talked over Charles. "So I suggest you give me Jennifer first, or you won't get Joan."  
Charles shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I didn't want to have to resort to this but…" He reached into his jacket and suddenly whipped out a gun from his pocket and pointed it at Jonathan. Joan grabbed his arm.  
"I'll say it once more, Mr Hart! Give me Joan, or your wife dies!" Charles shouted, colour rising in his face. Jonathan glanced sideways at the workman with the gun. He nodded and fired at Charles. The shot rang throughout the dirt area, and Charles ducked and spun around, looking for the source. Jonathan ran back behind a supporting pole of the construction frame, drawing his gun as he went. Charles whipped his head back around and, seeing Jonathan aim at him, he jumped up and dropped his gun in his haste to get to safety. He ducked behind a stack of long, metal pipes just as Jonathan began to fire at him across the dirt area. Joan dropped to the ground, and began to crawl towards the construction frame, trying to avoid the gunshots. She started as someone grabbed her hand, and she looked up to see anther workman kneeling beside her. He pulled her up and they ran to the crane for cover.  
"I think I've found your friend!" he yelled over the explosion of gunshots.  
"Where?" Joan yelled back. He pointed up at the crane. Joan followed his finger to the end of its arm and gasped as she saw Jennifer. She dangled fifteen metres above the ground, her hands tightly bound together with rope, and tied to the crane's hook. As Joan and the policeman watched, the crane began to move higher.  
"Look!" said the policeman, pointing to the cockpit. Joan recognised Hastings, his hand on the controlling lever. The policeman looked around for a moment, then, seeing the crane's ladder, he grabbed the bottom rung and began climbing up with Joan right behind him.  
Jonathan threw his gun to the ground when he fired the last bullet, and ran over to Charles. Seeing Jonathan coming over, he silently began to edge around the metal pipes.  
Jonathan reached the pipes and quickly glanced along the left side. Charles wasn't there. He looked through the pipes, but he couldn't see Charles at the other end either. Just as he was about to check around the right side of the pipes, Charles suddenly jumped out at him. He threw a punch at Jonathan, catching him by surprise. Jonathan staggered backwards, winded, and Charles took the chance to lock his hands around his neck. Jonathan grabbed Charles' hands and tried to prise them off, and they lurched over to the construction frame, Jonathan shoving Charles' back against one of the supporting poles. As they struggled, Charles noticed his gun, lying a few metres away in the dirt. Using all his strength, he brought his right leg up, kneeing Jonathan hard in the stomach. When Jonathan let go to clutch his stomach, Charles hit him in the face again and ran over to the gun. Jonathan followed him, one hand still on his stomach. He began to stumble towards Charles, but froze as he rounded the gun on him.  
"Stop, Mr Hart! Or Jennifer dies!" he yelled at Jonathan, pointing to the crane. Jonathan looked up and his eyes widened as he finally saw Jennifer, dangling from the crane's hook.  
"My assistant recently took up a job working with cranes. I give him one signal, and Jennifer falls," Charles continued. Jonathan looked back at the cockpit, and saw Hastings, his hand on the lever. Then, he stared in surprise as he realised who was with him. Jonathan watched Hastings freeze as he felt the cool tip of a gun tap his temple. He put his hands behind his head and stood up, and Joan took his place in the chair. She pulled the lever down, and the long arm began to move down, bringing Jennifer slowly closer to the ground. The policeman motioned for Hastings to start climbing down the ladder.  
"I think your assistant has retired early, Mr Peterson," said Jonathan, and pointed to the cockpit. Charles' head snapped up to look at the crane, and Jonathan, using his moment of distraction, ran at him. Grabbing him around the middle, he wrestled him to the ground. They rolled over on the dirt, Charles stopping on his back with Jonathan on top of him. Jonathan pulled his fist back and punched him three times in the face, finally knocking him out. Charles' head crashed onto the ground as he passed out and a stream of scarlet blood began to run out of his nose, his left eyelid looking slightly purple. Massaging his fist, Jonathan got up, and looked back as he heard a car. Lieutenant Gillis and two policemen got out and ran over.  
"Okay, get him outta my sight," said Lieutenant Gillis when they reached Jonathan, and the workmen lifted the unconscious Charles off the ground, dragging him away to join Hastings in the waiting police car.  
"Thanks, Mr Hart. Er… don't forget your wife," Lieutenant Gillis said, pointing to the crane as he followed them.  
"I won't, Lieutenant," said Jonathan, his mouth twitching slightly as he nodded. He looked up at Jennifer and ran over to help her as she was gently lowered to the ground by Joan. He quickly broke through the knots tying her hands to the crane, and slipped the cloth covering her mouth off, catching her as she stumbled forward. They hugged each other in relief.  
"Darling, if this is how every journalism presentation is going to end, next time say no," he said to her. Jennifer laughed as she kissed him, and they hugged again, letting the ropes fall to the ground.


	11. Chapter 11

Jennifer pulled the silk bed covers up to her chest and glanced over at Jonathan as he got ready for bed. He began to take his dressing gown off, and seeing he was going to take a while, she looked back towards the window. It was a moment before she realised that she was staring at the box sitting underneath on the window seat.  
"Darling?" she asked, still looking at the box.  
"Yeah?" he said, getting into bed beside her.  
"Do you think, after everything that's happened…we might try again?"  
Jonathan looked over at her and followed her gaze to the box underneath the window. He realised what she meant, and put his arm around her shoulder.  
"I don't know," he said, slowly. "I think right now, when we're just recovering, it's hard to know what we want," he answered. He pulled her against his chest, and she wrapped her arm around him as they stared at the box together. They were silent for a moment.  
"Maybe…" Jennifer hesitated. "Maybe it's a sign that we're not meant to be parents. Maybe that's why we lost the baby."  
"It was an accident. It wasn't meant to happen," said Jonathan.  
"Yes, but if I hadn't been crossing the road just then…" She trailed off, and they were both silent as they remembered.  
"Well, we already have a baby- Freeway. And we look after Max as well. Maybe we've got enough kids to worry about, already," said Jonathan. There was a pause.  
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I lost the baby…" Jennifer began, quietly.  
"Darling, you didn't lose the baby. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. You're safe now, and that's what matters," said Jonathan. He kissed her forehead. "And, even though this will take some time to get over, we've still got each other. And Max, and Freeway. We've got a family. So why don't we keep it?"  
"Yeah," Jennifer agreed, and tore her gaze away from the box to look at him. He gave her a small smile, and they kissed once before Jennifer reached across him to turn off the light.

The End


End file.
